Steroids/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby A boy, Tim, and a robot, Moby, are throwing a football back and forth to each other. It's Tim's turn to catch. He holds up his arms. TIM: I'm open. I'm open. MOBY: Beep. Moby tosses Tim a crumpled-up piece of paper instead of a football. Tim uncrumples it and reads from a typed letter. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, What is a steroid? From, Dennis. TIM: Steroids are a group of fatty substances, or lipids, that occur naturally in the body. An animation shows a silhouette of a person and a sketch of a lipid molecule, which looks fairly complex. TIM: They regulate all kinds of things your body does, like growing and fighting disease. An animation shows a silhouette of a girl growing into an adult. A second animation shows Tim in bed with a thermometer in his mouth. He looks ill but then becomes better. TIM: Doctors sometimes use natural and synthetic steroids as medications to treat problems like arthritis, acne, and severe pain. Animations illustrate the medical issues Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Steroid abuse? Well, that's a different story. Sometimes, people take steroids for the wrong reasons, and without a doctor's supervision. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, most anabolic steroids are made primarily of the male sex hormone, testosterone. An animation shows a testosterone molecule. TIM: Testosterone causes all those puberty changes in boys like muscle growth, hair growth, and a deeper voice. As Tim speaks, he becomes more muscular, grows facial hair, and talks in a lower tone. TIM: Anabolic steroids can build muscle mass and make people stronger. Nyah. Tim returns to his normal state, and his voice returns to normal. TIM: Doctors might prescribe them to a patient who's lost muscle mass because of disease. An image shows a prescription bottle and three anabolic steroid pills. TIM: Like any prescription drug, it's illegal to take anabolic steroids without a doctor's supervision. MOBY: Beep. TIM: I'm getting to that. Strength is a major factor in most sports; no one's going to argue with that. An animation shows a female athlete running around a track. TIM: Athletes train really hard to build muscle and increase their body's ability. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Right. A person could take anabolic steroids to increase their muscle mass, even if it weren't medically necessary. That's steroid abuse, and most professional sports test for it. So do the Olympics. Images show a football, a baseball, a baseball bat, a basketball, and a hand weight. These images are joined by an Olympics symbol. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, in addition to giving the person on steroids an unfair strength advantage, steroids have all kinds of bad side effects, too. They cause mood swings; everything from rage to depression. An animation shows a muscular bodybuilder. He becomes very angry and then very sad. TIM: Steroid use can also cause severe liver damage, which can take years off your life! An animation shows the bodybuilder's liver, which is spotted and bruised-looking. TIM: In women, steroids can mess up the menstrual cycle, deepen the voice, and even cause facial hair. Images show a woman holding her lower stomach, speaking, and growing a beard and moustache. TIM: Some male steroid users go bald early, become unable to have children, and develop breasts. Images illustrate the conditions Tim describes. MOBY: Beep. Moby is laughing. TIM: It's not funny! Taking steroids without a medical reason is really, well, it's dumb: it messes with how your body regulates itself. There have even been some signs that steroid abuse can lead to suicide. MOBY: Beep. Moby looks unhappy. TIM: Actually, from stopping steroids. An image shows a depressed young man sitting in a dim bedroom. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Yeah, it's crazy, but lots of high school and college athletes use steroids now. MOBY: Beep. TIM: So not worth it! Sports are supposed to be about fair competition. An animation shows three female track runners. Each has a medal around her neck designating first, second, or third place. TIM: If some people are using steroids, or other illegal performance drugs, it's not a level playing field. It's cheating, and if you win by cheating, you're really not winning at all. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Well, forcing everyone to use dangerous drugs isn't really a good solution. Tim and Moby return to their game of football catch. Tim runs backward with his arms out. TIM: Okay, throw it here. MOBY: Beep. Moby throws the football to Tim. It flies past him and up into outer space, where it begins to orbit the earth. TIM: Yeah, I think that's why robots are banned from sports, too.Category:BrainPOP Transcripts